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April 1 - April 30, 2020
Jennifer Ferriss's avatar

Jennifer Ferriss

Saratoga Springs Public Library

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 463 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    23
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    135
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    6.0
    pieces of litter
    picked up

Jennifer's actions

Climate

Earth Day Action: Write a Love Letter, Poem, or Song to Earth

I will express my love and gratitude for our Earth by writing a love letter, poem, or song to Earth.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Oceans

Learn about Our Oceans

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning about how our oceans support life on Earth by producing oxygen, regulating climate, and providing habitat, food, and jobs.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

People

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 1 piece(s) of litter each day while following the CDC’s current guidelines for prevention of disease transfer.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Building Resilience

Connect While Social Distancing

I will connect with at least 2 person/people a day through phone call or video chat to support mine and other’s mental and emotional health during this challenging time.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Building Resilience

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

I will watch 1 documentary(ies) about food sovereignty: the right of local peoples to control their own food systems including markets, ecological resources, food cultures and production methods.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Wildlife

Research a Wild Animal

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about a wild animal I find interesting, including their life cycle, habitat, ecosystem functions, and interactions with humans (if any!).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.

To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?


  • Jennifer Ferriss's avatar
    Jennifer Ferriss 4/13/2021 9:32 AM
    Sustainable Outdoor Recreation lunch and learn from the NYS DEC - notes
    Laura DiBetta, Director of Outdoor Recreation presented some tips to explore the outdoors.
    Adventure NY multi-year outdoor rec campaign announced in 2017
    • Expand access to recreation (upgrades to facilities, new facilities, accessible boardwalks, all ages)
    • Connect people to nature and the outdoors ( Coming soon: NYS Birding Trail )
    • Protect NY's natural resources 
    • Boost local economies
    Leave No Trace (lnt.org)
    7 principles - guidelines not rules or policy although policy is created via these principles
    What are the Leave No Trace seven principles?
    The 7 Principles
    • Plan Ahead & Prepare.
    • Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces.
    • Dispose of Waste Properly.
    • Leave What You Find.
    • Minimize Campfire Impacts.
    • Respect Wildlife.
    • Be Considerate of Other Visitors.
    The 10 essentials - light is the most important thing to remember regardless of your plans to hike in a few hours. Your cell phone battery can die. And yes, I do carry almost all of this stuff every time  I go for a hike. I may not bring a tent, but I will have an emergency blanket.  If I know the trails I don't bring a map (my regular hikes like Moreau State Park or Lake George Mountains/trails) Sometimes I do leave the matches/fire behind if it is warm out.

    If you want any tips - never hesitate to ask. I have a lot of miles and adventures in me.

    Environmentally Friendly Camping:
    Bring reusable containers
    Repack food from the store to reduce trash
    Use real dishes/utensils, mugs etc.
    Biodegradable soap
    Don't wash dishes in the creeks/rooks
    Don't bring firewood from home - 50 miles of the campsite only

    Gear
    Rent or buy used

    Love our New York Land Campaign launching next week

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Climate Earth Day Action: Write a Love Letter, Poem, or Song to Earth
    What are you grateful for about our planet? Share what you created or your general thoughts of love and gratitude with everyone else!

    Jennifer Ferriss's avatar
    Jennifer Ferriss 4/21/2020 12:28 PM
    Gratitude has been all around me today; metta love meditation - loving kindness to ourselves and others then Brene Brown's interview with David Kessler - you can find gratitude in grief because its not about what you lost its about what you had. So on that note, I am grateful for Planet Earth for the abundance of wonder, color and chaos that you bring to my life. I hope to keep you healthy for my lifetime and those in future generations by doing my part to appreciate and care for you.  Happy 50th Earth Day! 

  • Jennifer Ferriss's avatar
    Jennifer Ferriss 4/21/2020 7:26 AM
    Good morning all,
    I wanted to share some live Facebook video (or watch later) options that are on the DEC Facebook page to commemorate DEC and Earth Day 50th birthday. 

    Also at around 4 pm today I am going to be writing up our Earth Day impact for the daily bulletin tomorrow so learn the learns and do what you can to get your daily activities done before 4. I know that I am going to reach out to a few people and perhaps take on Kali's challenge today to send a selfie to Gina with my thanks to frontline workers. 

    Be well -Jen

  • Jennifer Ferriss's avatar
    Jennifer Ferriss 4/20/2020 8:58 AM
    I just received an email from MoMa and they have curated a list of short and not so short documentaries that are free to view and are part of their Fortnight Festival that focuses on our changing Earth.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Oceans Learn about Our Oceans
    What is one way in which oceans support your life on Earth? What is one way you can help take care of ocean health with your actions?

    Jennifer Ferriss's avatar
    Jennifer Ferriss 4/20/2020 6:59 AM
    Therapy! This is one place where I can sit and stare and do nothing else for hours on end. I don't need to read, people watch, talk; I can just meditate at the ocean. Reading more about the ocean I learned that we have a diving reflex when we put our head in the water - it lowers our heart rate. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3768097/ 

    We need to take care of the ocean - the plastic islands need to disappear, fish need to stop being over harvested, we need to save our reefs. A dying ocean would be devastating to life as we know it - and to my mental health.

  • Jennifer Ferriss's avatar
    Jennifer Ferriss 4/17/2020 1:36 PM
    This week I saw a lot of garbage on an undisclosed trail in the Adirondack Park and closer to home; but I was not going to carry around dog poo bags and other yuck without the proper gear. I do plan to get out this weekend and do some trail work (I just became a steward) and will do some nature clean up so that people can safely use the trails without widening the existing trail. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Action Track: Building Resilience Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty
    How does food sovereignty address the complex agrarian transition to modern food systems?

    Jennifer Ferriss's avatar
    Jennifer Ferriss 4/13/2020 1:45 PM
    Several of the principles that I try an adhere to when I purchase food to eat is to buy local, buy organic when possible, know your food source (and your farmer), and try and eat in season. Although the documentary that I watched "Brooklyn Farmer" - available on Kanopy did not get into food sovereignty as it relates to culturally appropriate food, it was definitely about creating an agricultural system in a major city by taking advantage of the acres of rooftops available to grow crops. Brooklyn Grange at the time of the documentary had 2.5 acres on 2 rooftops, growing 75 crop varieties and delivering/selling the crops within a five mile radius.  We are fortunate to have farmers within our reach -- get to know them, visit their farms and consider your values when it comes to food choices.

    • Lisa Baltz's avatar
      Lisa Baltz 4/20/2020 7:06 AM
      I recently watched the Food Sovereignty Film on PBS about the damaging effects (physically, emotionally, spiritually) processed food has had on the native peoples of this country.  It gave hope with leaders speaking of ways they are incorporating cultural foods and growing practices and education back into the nations and I hope it takes hold and flourishes.  It is also a lesson for all people to realize we are what we eat.  
      I also discovered that the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY has volunteer opportunities not only at the warehouses but also at their FARM!  You can sign up to plant seeds in the greenhouse now or transplant seedlings into the fields at a later time in the season.  This is SO GREAT!!!  Check it out:   https://regionalfoodbank.net/volunteer/ 

  • Jennifer Ferriss's avatar
    Jennifer Ferriss 4/13/2020 6:06 AM
    I thought I took the weekend off from the challenge, but I continue to connect with friends and family while keep a social distance. I saw my in-laws in real life on a random walk in the local woods, cleaned up some trails of trail debris, not garbage and learn more about the history and ecosystem of our region. What did you do this weekend?

    • Tara Chhabra's avatar
      Tara Chhabra 4/13/2020 7:35 AM
      We visited a Scenic Hudson park in Greenport. Yes, we drove, but sometimes you just need to get out of Dodge! I track my Outback mileage, use gas-saving cruise control as much as possible, and support local businesses (safely) along the way. Catskills  and Hudson River views from Harrier Hill...
      ...

  • Jennifer Ferriss's avatar
    Jennifer Ferriss 4/07/2020 12:33 PM
    Good afternoon,
    I can't wait to get outside after work and go for a nature run - which requires alot of stop and go to be on the lookout for nature. 
    I wanted to share this upcoming webinar (<---click) with you.
    Take care,
    Jen


  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Wildlife Research a Wild Animal
    What interesting facts did you learn about the animal you researched? What are some of your favorite things about this animal?

    Jennifer Ferriss's avatar
    Jennifer Ferriss 4/07/2020 10:29 AM
    Today I learned more about our abundant fowl friend (or fiend) the Canada Goose. Can you believe they were almost extinct in the early 1900s? We did a great job of getting them off that list and now are considered a nuisance. They love to eat grass, so that might explain it a bit.  Some interesting facts:
    1. they sort each other by size to choose a mating partner
    2. the oldest known goose was 33 years old
    3. they don't all migrate, some stick around year round
    4. they like to have a 360 view from their nest, typically built on top of a muskrat mound
    5. the French call them Bernache du Canada